Because more and more Muslims refugees are
looking to start a new life in Europe, officials and lawmakers are faced with a
choice. They can either adapt their society to fit these new people’s culture
or they can demand that these new people who are seeking refuge in their
country to adopt European culture. Switzerland is leaning closer to the
latter.

Now Swiss lawmakers are inching toward imposing
a nation-wide ban on face veils. This is a pointed gesture against the woman
who wear burqas as part of the country’s small minority. But the country is
afraid that people might be hiding behind these religious customs in order
to inflict terror or crime on innocent citizens of Switzerland…

A ban on the Islamic veils was passed in the
lower house of Swiss parliament on September 27 by a tight vote of 88 to 87.
Since it passed in that part of the government, it now has to go to the higher
chambers of the government in order to actually be enacted into law. Many
people expect that it will be a controversial issue and will probably be put to
a national vote.

The ban on veils was originally proposed by
Walter Wobmann, a member of the Swiss People’s Party (SVP).

Wobmann is not a fan of immigration and was
successful in 2009 when he pushed for a ban on the construction of mosque
minarets in Switzerland. Now he thinks veils are the next thing that need to go
if Muslims want to live in Switzerland.

“Veils are an attack on integration in a free
society,” Wobmann said, according to The Independent. “The ban of religiously
motivated coverings in public is proportionate and violates neither freedom of
religion nor expression. It does not constitute discrimination.”

If the law was enacted, face veils would be
banned in all public places except for religious site and a few other
exceptions.

In order to speed up this ban, supporters need
to get 100,000 signatures to force a referendum. According to an August poll, a
shocking majority of 71 percent of Swiss citizens support the face veil ban.

Because it is a hot button issue, the Swiss
parliament is expected to stall on it. This will leave the decision to a public
vote.

Switzerland has about 8.3 million people in the
country and only 5 percent of those are Muslim. Out of the country’s 350,000
Muslims, just a few actually wear burqas.

This controversy has grown because recent Muslim
immigrants and refugees have struggled to integrate into socially liberal
European society.

For example, some Muslim boys refused to shake
the hands of their female teachers. They were issued fines for their
disrespectful and sexist behavior.

Two Muslim girls refused to take a swimming
lesson with male peers. They were denied citizenship because of their obvious
refusal to adapt to the new society they just moved to.

Belgium and France already enforce a ban on
burqas. Switzerland is behind on the times and is just trying to catch up.

“It is unacceptable that you can wear a hijab in
a photo but not a cap,” Wobmann said, according to CNN. “This is not a question
of religious freedom but of equal treatment.”

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on Muslim immigrants?

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This post was republished from awm.com You can find the original post here.